New Patients
Welcome to your patient-centered medical home!
The physicians and staff would like to welcome you to our practice. This booklet is designed to provide some guidelines to assist you in the care of child/ren and acquaint you with the policies and procedures of our practice.
Office Hours
- Monday 8:45 AM – 5:30 PM
- Tuesday 8:45 AM – 5:30 PM
- Wednesday 8:45 AM – 5:30 PM
- Thursday 8:45 AM – 5:30 PM
- Friday 8:45 AM – 5:30 PM
- Saturday 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
In a patient-centered medical home, YOU are the center of the health care team. Your team is headed by your primary care provider and includes other medical professionals inside and outside this office. Communications with all team members is critical and is possible through use of a shared electronic medical record system. You can access your medical records at any time through NextMD.
To sign up for the patient portal you must request a token from our staff. After registered proceed to nextmd.com.
How You Benefit
You’ll enjoy a personal relationship with the health care team that is dedicated to meeting all of your health care needs. The member of your individual team will spend time getting to know you and will happily respond to all your concerns and questions. That’s a good thing because research has shown that patients who communicate with their doctors are not only happier with the care they receive, they actually have better outcomes. Remember, every member of your team has one common goal: to provide you with the best possible health care.
Patients and their families can expect evidence-based care from your primary care physician and your care team, as well as support for self- management of their health and health care, including educational materials and current literature regarding health care issues.
Our care manager is a valuable resource to you! Your doctor may refer you to the care manager to work closely with you to help you learn the best ways to manage chronic conditions. This is available to you at no charge.
Our practice offers same-day and next-day appointments and after-hours phone access. You’ll also have increased access to more providers and resources within our medical neighborhood with our Patient-Centered Medical Home model. We will coordinate your care with your other healthcare providers to ensure that you get the good care and communication you deserve. As you require additional services from specialist and other health care providers, they become part of your medical team.
Patient Responsibilities
YOU are the center of your healthcare team. As the most important team member, you are a full partner when it comes to your health care. It is your responsibility to give your team the information they need to do an excellent job.
For your convenience, here are some checklists of things to do before, during and after your appointment.
Before your appointment:
- Gather all the medications you are currently taking. This includes prescription medicines and over-the-counter medicines.
- Make a list of all the doctors and clinics you see and bring it with you.
- Write down all the questions you want to ask during your appointment.
- List your questions so that the most important ones are at the top of the list.
- Be prepared to provide information about your current medical conditions, past surgeries and illnesses, including dates. You’ll also want to be familiar with your family’s medical history.
- Be familiar with your health insurance coverage, and contact your insurance provider if you have questions about your benefits.
- Call to reschedule or cancel appointments as soon as possible.
During your appointment:
- Make your health care provider aware of any changes in your health and your condition(s) since your last visit.
- Give the list of doctors to the doctor so we can coordinate your care.
- Discuss your health issues and be sure to understand what you need to do for each one.
- Be sure you understand the instructions your provider gives you before you leave the office.
After your appointment:
- Continue to learn about your condition(s) and what you can do to stay as healthy as possible.
- Follow the plan that you and your provider discussed. If you have any questions about your treatment plan, be sure to call.
- Take your medications as your provider ordered.
- Call us if you haven’t received test results within the time your provider told you to expect results.
- Pay your share of any fees for your care.
- Tell us how we are doing! We want to hear from you! You may receive a satisfaction survey in the mail. If you do, please fill it out and send it back! It will help us improve your care and make us a better at what we do.
Scope of services:
Our practice provides services that include well-child check –up, immunizations, care of all levels of illness, developmental testing, hearing and vision screenings, attention deficit diagnosis and treatment and some behavioral healthcare. Behavioral healthcare outside our scope of care will be referred to local trusted psychologist or psychiatrist.
Telephone:
Routine Calls during Office Hours: For advice concerning mild illnesses or non-urgent matters, please call during office hours. Your call will be returned by one of our staff members who will consult with a doctor about your child’s condition. We attempt to answer all calls within a few hours, but if you don’t hear from within reasonable time (1-3 hours) please call back. If your last name is different from your child’s last name, please remind us.
Urgent and Emergency Calls:
During office hours, let our receptionist know if you have an urgent question. If this is an emergency, hang up and call 911.
After Hour Calls:
For after-hours help, call our office number at (513)232-5512. Follow the prompts to page the doctor. Leave a brief message and phone number for a return call from the doctor on call. If that doctor has not returned your call in thirty minutes, please call again. If this is an emergency, please call 911.
Scheduling Checkups:
Please try to schedule future checkups when you are leaving the office at the end of a visit. Please schedule checkups and consults in advance. Certain doctors and times of the year fill up quickly.
Appointments:
Appointments not cancelled 24 hours in advance will be charged 25.00 for a non-cancellation fee per appointment. These charges are not billable to insurance. We understand that true emergencies do arise, if you call the day of the appointment to inform us you will not be able to keep your appointment, allowances may be made. Three missed appointments without notification will result in termination from our practice. Canceling appointments allows other children to be seen.
We do not accept walk in appointments. Appointments are required for all children that will need to be seen. Adding children on to an already scheduled appointment will result in delays for others. There will be a $40.00 charge in addition to a walk in fee if we see your child without an appointment. Patients arriving more than thirty minutes past their scheduled appointment time will be required to reschedule. Patients arriving early will be placed in order of appointment time. These patients will not be seen early.
Payments:
Co-payments, deductibles or co-insurances are due at the time service is provided. A current insurance card must be presented at the time of 4 service. On first visit you must present your driver license. If your insurance contract requires a co-pay or co-insurance, it will be collected before your child sees a provider. If your insurance contract requires a deductible, we will collect $50 at the time of service and the remaining balance is due 30 days from the invoice date. Many deductible plans cover well child care in full and for those visits no payment will be collected at the time of service.
Insurance:
Our practice accepts numerous commercial, federal, private, uninsured and state funded insurance programs. We provide equal access for all of our patients accepted into the practice regardless of insurance status. Uninsured families can contact www.Healthcare.gov for obtaining insurance coverage.
Claims:
For your convenience we will file your insurance claims. Claims are usually processed within 30 days. Our billing department will make every effort to collect payment from your insurance company, but if all attempts fail, it is your responsibility to contact the insurance company. If a claim becomes more than 90 days old, you may be asked to pay the claim while you contact your insurance company. Once payment is received from the insurance company, we will refund the amount due back to you. If the amount is less than $40 we will keep this credit on your account for you to use on the next visit. If you ever want us to refund that amount to you, just contact the billing department and they will issue you a check within one week. Not all services are a covered benefit in all contracts. Therefore, it is your responsibility to understand the benefits of your insurance policy.
Balances:
Not covered by insurance are due in full within 30 days of receiving a statement unless other arrangements have been made. If your balance goes over 90 days past due and you have not responded to our attempts to contact you, we will be forced to send your account to a collection agency. Should this occur, you agree to assume responsibility for any fees and services charged by the collection agency and we will be forced to terminate the patient/physician relationship.
RETURNED CHECKS: Will carry a service charge of $25.00.
Prescriptions:
We now send our prescriptions electronically. Please allow 24 hours for any controlled medications to be sent.
Forms:
School/sports/camp forms require 24 hours to be completed. Please allow 5-7 days for disability or FMLA papers. They require the physician to give detailed medical histories.
Call Us Today To Schedule a Visit!
(513) 232-5512
